


Return to Hermitville

by AbschaumNo1



Series: Return to Hermitville [1]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, Childhood Friends, Established Relationship, Everyone is Queer, Found Family, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Handwaving, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28914036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbschaumNo1/pseuds/AbschaumNo1
Summary: Fifteen years after he left Hermitville to go to college in the city Impulse returns to live there again with Grian, his partner of ten years. They're ready to settle down for good and plan their future together.But when Impulse left he also left behind the two best friends he had been in love with. He's happy with Grian, and Zedaph and Tango are clearly happier with each other. But what happens when they all realise that even after fifteen years their old feelings are not as gone as they thought they were?
Relationships: GoodTimesWithScar/BdoubleO100/Cubfan135, Grian/ImpulseSV, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Mumbo Jumbo/Iskall85, Tango Tek/Zedaph (Video Blogging RPF), Zedaph/impulseSV/Tango Tek/Grian
Series: Return to Hermitville [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2120793
Comments: 28
Kudos: 29





	1. Part 1 - Impulse

**Author's Note:**

> So back in December I posted an ask box game on tumblr asking people to send me fic concepts they think I would write. Russ sent me [an amazing concept](https://abschaumno1.tumblr.com/post/636722508820807680/for-the-story-youd-write-ask-meme-impulse) about Impulse returning to the small town he grew up in and it really inspired me so I started writing it.  
> I'm not sure how many parts there will be ultimately but I decided that this one was a good length to post already.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy.

Impulse stopped the car in the driveway and considered the house for a moment. It was nice, old but recently refurbished. Grian had spent hours coordinating and making sure to transform it into something that might even pass as modern in a way that struck Impulse as very small town.  
Then again this was a small town. And the house still stuck out in the row of more run down houses, the only place that had only just gotten a new paint job. Still, it was far from the repurposed brick warehouse their city apartment was located in.  
Not for the first time he wondered if they had really made the right decision to move out here, a two hour drive from the city. But things had been serious enough between them for years that when they had talked about finding something a little bigger Grian had suggested moving out into the country and find a place to put down proper roots. Besides, recent events had shown that maybe a change of scenery was in order.  
Impulse shook his head. He couldn't stay sitting here forever, people were sure to start gossiping. They probably had been talking for months already, after all Impulse's name had been on the purchasing contract right next to Grian's, and while he hadn't handled any of the communication with the workers who had handled the renovations to Grian's specifications, his name surely had come up.  
With a sigh he pulled his keys from the ignition and got out of the car. He grabbed the suitcase and the one box of basic necessities he had brought along from the trunk and then he slowly walked up the steps of the front porch to the door.  
The house was still mostly empty inside. There had been a hold-up with the delivery of their new furniture, and the things they had decided to move here from their apartment were only set to arrive along with Grian in a few days. Until then Impulse was on his own out here, with just a kitchen. Grian was hoping to at least get the bed delivered over the next few days, but they were both prepared to sleep on the air mattress Impulse had brought along for the time being.  
"It'll be a real throwback," Grian had said, his dark eyes glinting with mischief. "Just like old times."  
Impulse had laughed and pulled him in for a kiss, wrapping one arm around his shoulders as he had turned onto his back and pulled Grian along until he was lying on top of him, skin touching skin.  
"Maybe we can relive more of those old times as well then," he had said, and Grian hadn't needed to reply with words when Impulse could feel the enthusiasm behind his next kiss.  
He had to smile at the memory, just like he had to smile at the much older memories of their first shared apartment, both of them fresh out of college. It hadn't been much and they had slept on a mattress on the floor for a while before they could afford to get furniture. It had been a good time for them; things hadn't been easy, but they had still been early enough in their relationship that being in love was enough.  
They had both worked hard until it had paid off, and a few years back Grian, Scar and Bdubs had founded their own business, doing what they did best as architects. Impulse had taken over the joint leadership of the engineering department at Pacific just the year after.  
Being able to do a lot of their work from home had made their decision to move away from the city a lot easier. Still Impulse had not expected to return to his home town and live in the community he grew up in again. Grian hadn't exactly pushed for it, but his arguments had been good, and even if Impulse had been a little reluctant, they had decided together to at least try. If they found it wasn't for them they still had their apartment in the city and could move back there.  
He even understood why Grian had maybe pushed a little harder than he had had to. After one of Grian's clients had made some unwelcome advances and had had a hard time accepting no for an answer, Grian craved the security of a town like this. And whatever had happened in the past, Impulse was willing to do what it took to help his partner feel more comfortable again.  
He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his phone and when he pulled it out to check who was calling he had to smile.  
"Hey Grian," he said when he picked up.  
"Hey Impulse. Are you there yet?"  
"Just arrived. I'm still unpacking."  
"So how do you like it?"  
He could sense Grian's excitement even through the phone, and he had to laugh fondly.  
"You did a great job. I can't wait to see what it will look like once we actually have furniture."  
Grian laughed. "I talked to them earlier. They can speed up the delivery of the bed at least so it should arrive on Thursday. The rest we'll have to wait on until at least next week."  
"Well that's something then. As fondly as I remember sleeping on the floor, I've gotten used to the bed."  
"Maybe I shouldn't have called them then. I was looking forward to reliving those memories."  
"We can always set up camp in the living room."  
"I like your thinking. So-" Grian got cut off by what must have been the phone on his desk ringing. "Well I guess work calls again. I'll talk to you later."  
"Just call me when you get home. I love you."  
"I love you, too."  
They hung up, leaving Impulse in a better mood than before as he unpacked the rest of the box.

He ventured out into town an hour or so later. He needed to get some groceries at least, and maybe he could stop by the diner and grab a cup of coffee and a piece of pie before he took them home. He was glad that at least his parents weren't around anymore so there would be no talk about how he hadn't gone to visit them immediately after arriving.  
The town square hadn't changed much since he had left. The grocery store had gotten a new sign, but was still in the same space, across from it the hardware store and the diner still looked exactly the way he remembered, and the court house faced the church on the other two sides, the gazebo right in the middle of it all. The trees looked like they had recently been trimmed and the flower beds were as perfectly in order as they had been for all of Impulse's youth. He had to smile at the thought of Scar seeing it all, because he was sure to have opinions on the exact layout. He didn't have to check to know that he was turning heads as he crossed the square to get to the grocery store. As low-key as his car had seemed in the city, it stuck out like a sore thumb out here, too new and shiny, far too expensive for a community like this, not to mention that it was far too silent compared even to the newer trucks people drove here. And that wasn't even taking into account that any car people weren't familiar with here immediately raised suspicions.  
He wondered how many of them still recognised him immediately. He wasn't the lanky teen who had left anymore, the eyebrow piercing he had gotten in an act of teenage rebellion was long gone, and in the span of the past fifteen years he had grown up.  
He'd find out sooner rather than later he expected, someone was bound to say hello while he was doing his shopping.  
The bell above the door dinged when he opened the door to the grocery store, much the same as it always had. It looked like the only thing that had changed was that there were new shelves and cooling units. The layout was still familiar, and it didn't take long for Impulse to remember where everything was.  
He turned a corner into another aisle, thinking about what to do with the chicken he already had in his basket, when he collided with someone.  
"I'm sorry," he said automatically, before he even registered the blond hair, unruly as ever, framing a tanned face, and the surprised look from red eyes that met his as unwavering as ever.  
"Impulse?" Tango said, sounding like he couldn't quite believe who was standing in front of him.  
"Tango." Impulse swallowed. He hadn't expected to run into him quite so soon, and he had no idea what to tell him.  
"I...I didn't know you were in town," Tango said after a moment of awkward silence, and Impulse had to stop himself from raising an eyebrow.  
"Yeah, uh, my partner and I are moving here."  
"Oh." Something unreadable passed over Tango's face. "I...welcome back, I guess."  
"Thank you." Impulse wanted to say more, wanted to ask about Zed, even though he wasn't even sure he had any right to, but before he could open his mouth, Tango cleared his throat.  
"I uh I gotta go. I'll see you around, I guess," he said and Impulse barely got to return the sentiment before Tango quickly turned and walked away towards the back of the store.  
Impulse watched him, a little confused. He had been sure that someone would have told him that Impulse was moving back. After all, the whole town knew that they had been best friends, and they were sure to have been gossiping about his return. But all signs pointed to Tango not having the slightest idea about any of it. And that look on his face… It had been years, and Impulse didn't know him like he used to, but there had been hurt there, anger even, and maybe it was wishful thinking but he thought he had seen a tiny glimpse of the same warmth those eyes had carried back when they were in high school, before Impulse had left and never looked back.  
He knew they hadn't parted on the best of terms back then, and he knew it was his fault for the most part, but he couldn't help but wonder how they had fared since then.  
He shook his head and focused back on his shopping. He needed food first.

By the time Impulse made his way to the counter Tango was nowhere to be seen, and he wasn't quite sure if he should be glad or disappointed. Before he could make up his mind though, the woman behind the counter greeted him warmly.  
"Welcome home," she said. "It's so good to have you back."  
"Thank you. It's good to be back." Impulse smiled at her.  
Her name was Brenda he thought, she had been a year or two ahead of him in high school. He could see the way she tried to figure out if anyone was with him, but she didn't ask outright. Instead she chattered almost mindlessly about how happy everyone was to have him back and how much they were looking forward to meeting his partner. Impulse nodded and smiled politely, and once he had paid and grabbed his bags he wished her a nice day and quickly walked out.  
He considered his options while he walked back to his car, which was parked just down the street from the diner, but the decision was taken from him when the door to the diner opened just as he unlocked his car.  
"Impulse Sullivan," the woman standing in the door said, both her hands braced on her hips. "You're better not trying to go home already."  
Impulse laughed and raised his bags, "I wouldn't dream of it. I was just going to put these away before coming in."  
She nodded and watched as he put the bags in the car and locked it again before he came over to her.  
"It's so good to have you back," she said, pulling him down into a hug, and he smiled as he hugged her back.  
"It's good to see you, Stress. I didn't know you took over the diner."  
"Oh it's been a couple years now. Ruth decided she wanted to retire."  
"It was about time for her."  
"It really was." She herded him inside and over to a booth at the back. "Now what can I get you?"  
"Coffee and a piece of pie? And some time to catch up maybe?"  
"Coming right up." Stress grinned widely before she went to get him his order.  
She grabbed another cup of coffee for herself and sat down across from him.  
"So where is that boyfriend of yours? We're all dying to meet him."  
Impulse smiled apologetically. "He got held up by work. He won't be around until the weekend."  
"Well that's great. We can really get everyone together then to welcome him! But tell me about him. What does he do? How did you meet?"  
Impulse laughed. "Trying to get all the information before anyone else can, I see."  
"You know how it is." Stress grinned. "But do tell."  
"His name is Grian, he's an architect, and runs an architectural firm in the city with two of our friends. We met early into our last year of college. There was a project where us engineering students had to work with the architecture students and we ended up partnering together for it. We hit it off and a month or so after we finished our project I asked him out and we started dating. We've been together ever since."  
"Oh that's so amazing! But why leave life in the big city behind and come back?"  
Impulse shrugged. "We're both in a position to work from home a lot and we've been talking about finding a bigger space to live in, somewhere to put down roots, plan for the future. And sure, we could have picked the suburbs, but Hermitville came up and after we thought on it for a bit it felt like a good fit. It’s still close enough for us to go to our respective offices if we need to."  
"He must be really amazing," Stress said, a soft smile on her face. "You got that look on your face, all soft and loving. Like old Stanley had whenever he talked about Rita or looked at her."  
Impulse blushed and ducked his head.  
"He really is amazing. I-"  
His phone rang, cutting him off and he pulled it out to check who it was.  
"Sorry, I'll have to take this, it's my boss," he said, before he accepted the call.  
"Hey Mumbo."  
"Oh, hey, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."  
"I was just catching up with an old friend. What's going on?"  
"You know I was just wondering because of that meeting next week… and…"  
Impulse had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing before he heard someone in the background say, "That's better not who I think it is."  
"Iskall just walked in, didn't he?" he asked.  
"Uh, he might have," Mumbo admitted.  
"Can you hand me over?"  
"Sure."  
He heard Iskall's muffled laughter before he said, "Hallo. I want to apologise for my partner here. He's starting to get nervous."  
This time Impulse laughed. "We all know how he gets. You can tell him that Cub knows as much about this project as I do, and he will be there to answer any questions."  
"I'll remind him of that. And I'll make sure he relaxes over the weekend. And now I don't want to hear anything work related from you for the next two weeks. You're on holiday."  
"You won't hear a peep."  
"I'll hold you to that. Have a nice holiday."  
"I'll talk to you in two weeks. Bye."  
"Bye."  
He hung up and raised an eyebrow at Stress, who was hiding her grin behind her mug.  
"What?" He asked. "They're my friends just as much as my bosses."  
Stress laughed openly at him now.  
"I just didn't expect it. You must be glad to work with them."  
"I definitely can't complain," Impulse said with a laugh. "But tell me. What have I missed around here?"  
Stress grinned and as he picked up his fork to finally eat his pie she started catching him up on the newest gossip from Hermitville.

By the time Stress was done they were both on their second cup of coffee and Impulse knew all of the ins and outs of what he had missed. Or well, most of them. Two people had been suspiciously absent from her recount of events, and Impulse had to wonder why.  
"What about Tango and Zed?" he asked. "I ran into Tango when I was getting groceries earlier and he seemed surprised to see me."  
Stress sighed. "I don't think any of us told them," she admitted. "They…you hurt them pretty badly when you left, you know? I think we all just thought it would be better not to let them know."  
"I… I never wanted to hurt them," Impulse said, swallowing.  
"I won't ask what happened between the three of you. They haven't shared in fifteen years, and I respect that. But I wouldn't be sure they'll be happy to see you." Stress reached out and gently squeezed his hand and he smiled at her.  
"I never expected it. They have every right to be mad," he said.  
Stress nodded. "Either way," she said, "Tango is our car mechanic these days, and Zed took over his parents' sheep farm when they retired. They've been together for….oh, it's been long enough that I can't even remember when it happened."  
And out of everything she had told him, that last one was what surprised him the most. He hadn't known what to expect, but Tango and Zed being in a relationship certainly hadn't been on the list by a long shot. He shut down that train of thought as fast as he could though, it wasn't the time or the place to think about his closest childhood friends being together.  
Instead he pulled himself together and smiled. "I'm happy for them. They always worked well together," he said. It didn't look like Stress caught on to any of the emotional turmoil he did his best to ignore, and he couldn't help but be glad about it.

Grian called again while Impulse was having dinner.  
"Hey there, beautiful," he said as soon as his face popped up on the screen. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."  
Impulse laughed. "Only dinner. You caught me before I could get started on my fun evening plans."  
"Oooh what kind of fun plans?" Grian wiggled his eyebrows and Impulse laughed again.  
"Well someone needs to test how well you can slide on these floors."  
"Ah that does sound fun. Better get it out of the way before all the furniture is in the way."  
"Exactly!"  
They grinned at each other for a moment before Grian asked, "So how has the rest of your day been?"  
"Well I went out to get some food, and then Stress decided for me that I needed to come into the diner so she could ask me all the important questions and so she could catch me up on all the town gossip I missed."  
Grian's eyes lit up. "Oh do tell. I want to know everything."  
"Better get something to eat, this might take a while."  
Grian raised the plate of food that was in front of him. "I'm all settled."  
Impulse grinned and after propping his phone against a water bottle he picked up his fork again and settled in to tell Grian what he could over their dinner. It was almost like being here together.

He spent the next two days doing little things around the house that he could already sort, going to the diner and answering the same questions again and again for people he barely remembered. False, who had made sheriff since their high school years joked she hoped he wouldn't make any trouble, and what felt like most of the town came to welcome him.  
Xisuma didn't come to say hi until Wednesday afternoon. According to Stress he had taken over the music store and become mayor, but if Impulse had had to guess the tall man in the perpetual uniform of metal fans everywhere looked nothing like a mayor.  
"I wanted to give everyone a chance to welcome you back before I came," he said when he sat down across from Impulse with a steaming mug of tea. "I hope everything's been good so far."  
"I can't complain," Impulse said with a smile.  
"I hope they haven't been bothering you too much."  
Impulse laughed. "Not more than I expected. And I've had some catching up to do myself after all."  
"It must be weird to be back."  
"Not as much as I expected to be honest," Impulse said with a shrug. "But maybe the weirdness still needs a few days to kick in. I'm mostly focused on getting ready what I can before Grian arrives with most of our things."  
"Yeah, I heard you're still missing furniture."  
"Word has gotten round, I see. The kitchen is there already, and the bed is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Grian hopes they'll deliver the rest next week."  
"If you need anything in the meantime you just need to ask, we'll all be glad to help."  
"Thanks Xisuma. I think we're good though. It's not the first time we live without furniture."  
"Yeah but that was in the city, out here we help each other."  
"It's fine, I swear. There's really no need to start an emergency collection for us."  
"If you say so." Xisuma still looked like he was thinking about who to ask to help them out, but he didn't press either.  
"So you took over the music store, I hear," Impulse said to change the topic.  
Xisuma grinned. "I sure have. Billy wanted to get out and move to warmer climates, I was a natural fit as his successor."  
"You spent more time in that store than any of us back in the day, so I can't say I disagree."  
"You were there almost as much as I was."  
"Not nearly," Impulse said with a laugh. "Tango and Zed made sure of that."  
"You still play by the way?"  
"Not really," Impulse admitted. "City apartments aren't the best places to keep a drum kit around and use it. I might pick it up again though. We have space in the basement."  
"If you do feel free to give me a call, we could use a drummer for our jam sessions."  
"Who's we?"  
Xisuma shrugged, "Just me, Hypno and Cleo."  
"The usual suspects I see."  
Impulse grinned and Xisuma laughed. "Some things just don't change ya know?"  
"I'll keep it in mind."  
"Awesome."  
They were silent for a moment while they both took a sip of their drinks, before Impulse asked, "How's Ex by the way? Stress only told me he left to travel."  
"He checks in every once in a while, but I haven't heard from him recently. I know he met some people he's been travelling with, and he was doing well the last time we talked. Other than that I'm as clueless as you are."  
"This town always seemed too small for him."  
"It did. Unlike you. You always seemed perfectly happy where you were." There was no reproach in Xisuma's tone, but Impulse could tell he was curious at least.  
He swallowed. "Well, I thought it was enough, but I think I needed the time away to see what was out there for me."  
"And you found Grian."  
"I found Grian." Impulse nodded. "And I made great friends. I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on them."  
Xisuma nodded. "It's probably a moot point to ask if you ever considered coming back. You're here now after all."  
"I'll admit I didn't think of it until Grian suggested it. But I think we made the right choice."  
"I sure hope so." Xisuma finished his tea and got up. "I'll leave you to it. I gotta get back to the shop. I'll see you on Saturday."  
"Yeah. Any idea what Stress is planning?"  
"Not the slightest." Xisuma grinned and Impulse couldn't help but laugh when he said goodbye. It seemed they were both in for a surprise.

Impulse was glad when Friday rolled around. As fun as catching up with everyone had been, he missed Grian and he couldn't wait for him to arrive. And as comfortable as it had been to sleep in a bed again the night before, it had felt too large and empty without Grian taking up the other half of it.  
He went for a quick shopping trip after breakfast to stock up on some essentials and get something a little fancier for dinner than the simple meals he had lived off for the past few days. Grian texted him a quick update when he and the movers were about an hour away, and Impulse could feel his mood lift even more.  
"You seem happy today," Stress commented when he quickly ducked into the diner to grab a coffee to take home.  
"Grian's arriving soon," he said, grinning slightly.  
Stress laughed. "That'll do it. Tell him I said hi and I can't wait to meet him tomorrow."  
"Will do."  
She handed his travel mug back with a smile. "Have fun getting everything sorted."  
"Thanks Stress."  
He gave her a last wave as he walked out, and quickly walked down the street towards his car.  
At the corner he almost collided with Tango again, but he was in a hurry to get home, and only apologised before he walked on. He could hear Tango grumble something behind him, but he paid him no mind, because his phone vibrated with another text from Grian about how he hoped Impulse had remembered to buy tea.  
He sent a quick confirmation back before he slid his travel mug into the cup holder of his car and started the engine and smoothly pulled out to drive home. He barely even saw that Tango had stopped after they had ran into each other and was still scowling as Impulse drove past him.

He had just put away the groceries and gotten the kettle started when someone unlocked the front door, and he could hear Grian call out for him.  
Impulse came out of the kitchen with a smile already on his face but it morphed into a happy grin when he met Grian's eyes. Grian grinned as well, and after putting the box in his hands down on the floor, he practically launched himself at Impulse who caught him with a laugh.  
"Welcome home," Impulse said after a quick kiss. "I'll have tea ready for you in a minute."  
"Thank you. I think I'll need one after the drive."  
They just stood there and smiled at each other for a moment, before Impulse could hear the kettle finish boiling and squeezed Grian's hand.  
"I'll be right back. Why don't you get started out here?" he said and Grian nodded.  
Grian leaned in for another quick kiss and turned back to the door, and by the time Impulse got back to the kitchen he could hear him talking to the movers already.  
There wasn't much furniture to set up and they had to wait on the rest of their delivery to fully sort out things so they were done fairly quickly and the movers left to go back to the city.  
Grian turned around to face Impulse once he had closed the door behind them and smiled at him.  
"So that's all sorted then," he said, and Impulse nodded.  
He drew Grian in with a smile, and gently tilted his head up to kiss him slow and unhurried. Grian leaned into it, his arms wrapping around Impulse as he responded.  
"I'm glad you're finally here," Impulse said softly when their lips parted.  
Grian smiled gently and said, "I'm glad to finally be here with you." He leaned in again for another kiss, and Impulse welcomed him gladly.

Dinner was steak and potatoes, and as simple as it was, Impulse had missed cooking for Grian. He couldn't make dinner quite as fancy as he would have liked to, but there was something to be said about sitting next to each other at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, their knees pressed against each other, while they talked over dinner.  
They cleaned up together, like they usually did, and even with the new kitchen they moved around each other with the familiarity of years spent together.  
They went to bed right after, both of them tired from the day, but when they reached the bedroom Grian gently pushed Impulse down to sit on the edge of the bed.  
Impulse looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, but Grian only smiled and climbed into his lap, his knees bracketing Impulse's hips as he leaned in to kiss him. Impulse smiled into it and slid his arms around him to pull him closer, his thumb sliding underneath Grian's shirt to rub gentle circles into his skin. Grian pressed a little closer, grinding down almost teasingly, before Impulse slid both his hands underneath his shirt, letting them curl around his ribcage for a moment.  
He broke the kiss to smile at him and said, "I missed you."  
"I missed you, too." Grian leaned back in and the next movement of his hips was a bit more demanding.  
Impulse laughed softly as he leaned into it. He was more than happy to make up for lost time.

When Impulse woke a sliver of light was peeking through the blackout curtains, illuminating the room just enough for him to see Grian lying next to him, star-fished out across his half of the bed. His face was relaxed and even after all these years it made Impulse's heart swell with love. Some days he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have met Grian and to have him as his partner. Sure, they had had their ups and downs, but they had made it through all of them and come out stronger in the end.  
It had been eleven years since they had met, and Impulse was sure he wanted to be with Grian for the rest of their lives. He had thought about it for the past couple of years, but the right moment hadn't been there yet, and he was still waiting to ask Grian to marry him.  
Maybe the move would have been a good moment for it. He had definitely thought about it. But ultimately he couldn't settle on when to do it and how and maybe it was for the better to wait until they had settled in here.  
Grian stirred and Impulse smiled and reached out to run his hand across his deceptively narrow shoulders. He leaned in to brush a kiss against his forehead when he finally opened his eyes.  
"Good morning," he said, and Grian smiled back at him, Impulse's love and happiness mirrored right back at him in his eyes.  
"Good morning," Grian said, before he stretched up a little to kiss him. "So how are we starting this day?"  
Impulse smiled. "I thought we could go into town and have breakfast at the diner. I know Stress is dying to meet you."  
"Then who am I to let her wait?"  
"Her and most of the town." Impulse wrapped an arm around Grian and he tucked his head under Impulse's chin. "We have time though. We can stay in bed for a bit before we go."  
"Mhmm." Grian burrowed closer and Impulse tightened his arms around him and pressed a kiss to the top of his head as his breaths evened out again. Impulse smiled and closed his eyes, following not far behind.

The morning was half gone by the time Impulse parked the car by the diner, but neither of them minded much. They had only been apart a week, by far not the longest time they hadn't seen each other in person since the beginning of their relationship, but there was something about moving to a whole new town that made their first night here special. Maybe it was Hermitville itself, Impulse mused. Making them feel like this was it, welcoming them with open arms and giving them the calm and safety they needed to make the next step in their relationship before long.  
He smiled at Grian as they got out of the car and took his hand as they walked towards the diner, ignoring the curious eyes trying to act as if they weren't watching.  
The bell over the door jingled merrily when they entered, and Stress followed it up with a broad smile when she saw them. The few people hanging around the diner this time of day fell silent while Stress greeted them.  
"You must be Grian!" she said. "I'm so happy to finally meet ya! Impulse has told me so much already."  
"Has he now?" Grian said, with an amused look towards Impulse, who shrugged unapologetically. "He's told me you two have been catching up, but he never mentioned talking about me."  
"Oh he's been gushing about you. Everyone's really excited to meet you."  
Grian grinned, and Impulse sighed. He'd probably never hear the end of this one.  
He was saved by Xisuma coming in through the door.  
The mayor took one look around at how everyone tried their best not to look like they were trying to hear every word of their conversation, and smiled wryly as he said, "Now how about everyone let these two have breakfast in peace? I don't think they'll disappear."  
Most of the other guests had the decency to look embarrassed, and slowly conversations got picked back up. Impulse gave Xisuma a thankful smile, but only got a shrug in return.  
"Come on," Stress said. "Sit down and I'll be right with you."  
They nodded and Xisuma followed them over to the booth Grian picked.  
"Welcome to Hermitville," he said, when they had sat down. "I'm Xisuma, mayor and music store owner. If you need anything just come by."  
"Thanks," Grian said, smiling up at X. "I'm loving it so far."  
"Well I suppose you would." X grinned and threw a look at Impulse, who rolled his eyes at him. "But I'll leave you to it. I'll see you this evening."  
With a wave Xisuma left to go to the counter and Grian turned back to Impulse, a grin on his face.  
"He seems nice," he said.  
"He is. And he's good at what he does." Impulse smiled.  
Grian nodded but before he could say more Stress appeared by their table.  
"So I know Impulse here gets coffee. But what's your usual?" she asked cheerfully.  
"Do you have tea?"  
"We sure do, or I wouldn't hear the end of it. Some people here are very set on tea, and I wouldn't want to deny our mayor. He gets grumpy if he doesn't get tea."  
"Tea then."  
"And for food?"  
Impulse tuned her out a little when she started listing her breakfast options. He had heard them before, and he knew what he wanted. His eyes got drawn across the square outside, where two figures were passing in front of the church. They were walking close, closer than he remembered, but even at the distance he would have recognised them anywhere. Their different shades of blond still complemented each other, and the casual arm Tango had put around Zed's shoulders looked like it belonged there. Zed was saying something that made Tango laugh, his entire body moving with it.  
But before Impulse could wonder what they were laughing about Stress asked, "And you, Impulse?"  
Impulse blinked, and he probably surprised all of them when he said, "Pancakes, please."  
Stress gave him a considering look, probably because she made the connection, but she smiled when she said, "Coming right up."  
"Pancakes are a new one," Grian said when she had left, raising one eyebrow.  
Impulse shrugged. "I just feel like it."  
He didn't know how to explain to Grian that they had only come to mind because of that glimpse of Tango and Zed he had caught, and all the memories he had of sitting together with them in this very diner, joking about Tango's obsession with pancakes. He knew he would probably have to explain everything that had happened with them eventually, but he had no idea where to start, and even if he did he didn't think he would want to do it in the middle of the diner, with half the town being able to overhear.  
If Grian thought anything was wrong with his statement he didn't say. He just smiled and reached over to squeeze Impulse's hand.  
"Seems like a good day to try something new," he said, something soft and gentle in his eyes and Impulse could only smile back.

After breakfast they went and got some more groceries, and Impulse couldn't help but feel relieved that he didn't run into Tango again. Or into Zed for the first time since arriving.  
Sure, he had told Grian about his two best friends from his childhood, it would have been weird not to, but he had not expected to be thrown back to one of the reasons for his departure. Not like this at least, as if he hadn't left fifteen years ago. He had no regrets about it. He had made a career for himself, found amazing friends, and most importantly he had met Grian. But there was a part of him that wondered quietly what could have been if he hadn't left, or if he had come back regularly at least. What if he had allowed himself not just the space to figure out himself and his future, but had made space for Hermitville and its inhabitants as well?  
But there was no use in wondering about what-ifs. He had made a clear cut for his own sake, and he had thrived, and clearly life in Hermitville had moved on without him.

They spent the rest of the day getting more things in the house in order, before they went back into town for whatever welcome party Stress had planned. Impulse had expected her to hold it at the diner, just getting most of their old friend group together, and it was probably a sign that he had been gone for too long that he was surprised to find that the whole town square had been transformed since they had had breakfast.  
When the people of Hermitville went all out they really went all out, and it wasn't just Stress who had organised and decorated, but a lot of others who must have pitched in.  
There were lights strung through the trees, even if they weren't all that visible yet, and someone had decided that they needed actual food stands, and benches and tables around the square. It looked like most of the town was around, people Impulse barely remembered ever interacting with.  
Xisuma held a short speech, officially welcoming Grian and welcoming Impulse back, before he told everyone to have fun and enjoy the food. There was music playing and people were wandering around, and it felt all a little like a big family gathering.  
As it turned out Stress had organised a giant town-wide pot luck, and the food stands were mostly for show and to have a place to put down all the dishes. Impulse and Grian were slow to get to any of them though, since they kept being stopped by people who wanted to say hello.  
And between eating the hot dogs TFC had grilled, and trying some of Cleo's lemonade that she totally had not spent an entire school day making with the kids, Impulse realised that he felt happy, comfortable, at home.  
He could tell that Grian did too, from his easy laughs and the way his face lit up, and when they stopped for a moment, he leaned in and gently wiped off a bit of ketchup that had stuck to his bottom lip, before he kissed him gently. They needed no words to know that they were both glad to be here.  
And then Tango and Zed stood before them.  
Impulse hadn't talked to Tango since their encounter at the grocery store his first day back, and until this morning he hadn't even caught a glimpse of Zed.  
He wasn't sure how to greet either of them. Tango didn't quite look like he actually wanted to be here, and sure, it was subtle, but Impulse still knew him well enough to spot it.  
It was Zed who took the decision out of his hands, and before it could get awkward, he stepped in with a smile and hugged Impulse tightly.  
It took Impulse a moment to react but then he wrapped his arms around him just as tightly, even burying his face against his shoulder for a moment, if only to hide that his eyes got a bit misty for a second.  
"I'm so happy you're back," Zed said, "I missed you so much."  
Impulse returned the slight squeeze Zed gave him and said, "I'm glad to be back. I missed you, too."  
He caught Tango's eyes over Zed's shoulder, and he hadn't expected much, not after the way Tango had acted, but he was surprised to see something melancholy, almost soft, in his eyes. It was only a truce, probably just for the evening, but it was something, and Impulse was willing to take it.  
Zed released him and he stepped back, taking Grian's hand in his as he said, "This is Zed and Tango, they were my best friends. And this is Grian, my partner for eleven years now."  
He could see something flicker through Tango's eyes, harder, angrier, with a hint of hatred even, but it was gone before Impulse could think about it, and he ignored it.  
"It's so great to meet you," Zed said, his smile happy, even if Impulse could detect a slight strain at the edges.  
"Impulse told me so much about you guys. You must have so many stories he was too embarrassed to tell." Grian's grin was open, friendly and it didn't look like he was aware of any of the tension and awkwardness between them that Impulse couldn't help but feel.  
The mischievous glint in Zed's eyes was entirely too familiar though.  
"Oh I'm sure I do. We should get together some time and compare what you know already," he said, and Impulse had to laugh.  
"You do that," he said. "I'm sure I forgot some."  
Grian grinned up at him, and Impulse couldn't suppress the fondness that welled up in him. He didn't mind Grian knowing all of the embarrassing stories of his past. Not after eleven years of being together.  
He squeezed Grian's hand and ignored the way Tango's jaw clenched for a moment. He'd deal with whatever hang up he had soon, and most importantly not in front of Grian and Zed, who had started chatting already, comparing notes on what Grian knew and what Impulse had not told him yet.

They kept themselves busy the next few days, they had things to unpack and to arrange, and by the middle of the week they finally got the rest of their new furniture.  
The delivery people had barely finished and left when Grian's phone lit up with a video call from Scar that he accepted with a wry smile.  
"Hey there, I wondered how long it would take you to crack," he said with a grin.  
"I'm sorry Grian. But I need to see the garden."  
Grian laughed. "I know you already made Impulse send you pictures. What else do you need?"  
"Yes, and if you're around Impulse, they were great pictures. But I need to see more."   
Impulse leaned in and hooked his chin over Grian's shoulder before he said, "Are you sure that'll be enough?"  
"You're right. Maybe I should come by this weekend and see for myself." Impulse could see the considering look on Scar's face, just as he felt Grian sigh.  
"Scar…" Grian started but Scar was already shaking his head.  
"No no, Impulse is right. I think I'll come up this weekend. Byyye." And before either of them could protest, he had already disconnected the call, Bdubs' voice just barely audible in the back.  
Grian swatted at Impulse playfully. "See what you did now? He'll come up and we'll have him crawl around the garden while we're not even settled in properly," he said, but there was no heat behind it.  
Impulse laughed as he loosened his grip on Grian just enough for him to turn around and lean with his back against the breakfast bar.  
"He would have come anyways," he said. "Now we at least know when to expect him."  
"But at least we would have had time to sort everything out." Grian pouted a little and Impulse smiled as he moved back in, boxing him in.  
"I guess I'll have to make it up to you then," he said.  
Grian raised an eyebrow at him. "And how do you think you can do that?"  
"I'm sure I can come up with something." Impulse dropped his voice ever so slightly as he said it, and he could see the way Grian's eyes darkened before he leaned in to kiss him, capturing his lips in a searing, open-mouthed kiss and used the hand resting on Grian's hip to bring them closer together.  
Grian broke away from the kiss and said, "That….ah….that might just work."  
Impulse smirked and leaned in for another kiss.

They had just cleaned up after breakfast when the doorbell rang and Impulse opened the front door for Scar, Bdubs, Cub and somehow also Iskall and Mumbo.  
"You guys really made a trip out of this didn't you?" he said, unable to hide his amusement.  
"Well Bdubs and Cub wouldn't let me come alone, and then Cub mentioned it to Iskall and now we're all here somehow." Scar shrugged.  
Impulse shook his head with a fond smile as he stepped aside to let them in.  
Scar immediately disappeared towards the back of the house, followed by Bdubs, and even while the others were still hanging up their coats and taking off their shoes, Impulse could hear Scar talk to Grian.  
"How was the drive?" he asked as he led the others towards the kitchen and living room. "Not too bad I hope."  
"Well we almost lost Mumbo and Iskall on the highway, but other than that it was smooth driving," Cub said. "I gotta say if we ever get that engine to full scale production it'll be a treat."  
Impulse shot Mumbo a surprised look over his shoulder. "You already put one of the prototypes in? I thought you wanted to wait with that until we were further along with development?”  
Mumbo shrugged a little sheepishly. “The car needed a new engine anyways so I decided it would be a good stress test.”  
“It does run great,” Iskall said. “Though I am still not sure why you would put it in one of your cars already.”  
The three of them sat down at the breakfast bar while Impulse got coffee and tea ready for everyone.  
"So how did the NHO meeting go?" he asked.  
"It went really well actually. Doc and Etho seemed impressed with our work," Cub said. "And I believe they and Beef are considering partnering with us."  
Iskall shrugged. "I won't call it a sure thing until we got the contract drawn up and signed, but it did look good. And Doc and Etho both said they'd love to work with you two specifically."  
"Let's just hope they didn't mean by that that they are going to try and recruit you," Mumbo said with a wry smile.  
"You know I wouldn't leave," Impulse said. "I like my job too much." He smirked at Mumbo and Iskall as he put their drinks down in front of them. "Besides, at what other job would I be allowed to talk to my bosses the way I talk to you two?"  
Iskall laughed. "I guess we're in luck then."  
"I guess you are." Impulse grinned and they all settled in, chatting while Grian, Scar and Bdubs trudged around the garden outside, deep in discussion about how to landscape it.

Impulse woke to the smell of coffee and a kiss from Grian the next morning.  
"You're the last one up," Grian said with an apologetic smile. "Take your time, we decided we'd go to Stress's for breakfast."  
Impulse nodded, and when he sat up Grian handed him the mug of coffee he had brought. Impulse was thankful for it, he definitely needed the caffeine right now.  
Grian smiled and leaned into his side a bit.  
"Bdubs was up at the crack of dawn as usual," he said. "I think Scar and Cub have learned to sleep through it, but Iskall and Mumbo weren't as thrilled."  
He sounded amused and Impulse had to chuckle. Grian kept up the idle chatter while he waited for Impulse to wake up properly and to finish his coffee, and only when Impulse put his mug down on the bedside table and pulled Grian close did he turn and kiss Impulse properly.  
It would have been easy to pull him in and lie down again and spend some more time in bed in whatever way they felt like, but the voices of their friends were drifting up the stairs and he released Grian with a sigh.  
"I better take a shower before we leave," he said. "I'll be down in a few."  
"I'll go wrangle everyone." Grian smiled and gave him a quick kiss before he got up and took the mug with him as he left. Impulse watched him go with a smile before he stretched and finally got out of bed. Knowing their friends he better not let them wait too long.

There were definitely looks when they pulled up and parked in front of the diner. People had gotten used to Impulse's car, but Mumbo's sleek old-timer turned heads, and Impulse could spot a few people not so subtly crane their necks to see who got out.  
It probably didn't help that Mumbo wore suits in private as well as at the office. Even Impulse had to admit that it was a sight when he got out of the car and rose to his full height, clad in perfectly pressed slacks and a white shirt with a dark red tie, the sleeve garters around his elbows more of a fashion statement than actually needed. There wasn't a hair out of place on his head and the tips of his moustache were twirled to perfection.  
He pulled off his leather gloves and turned to Iskall, who had gotten out on the passenger side. The difference between them couldn't be more pronounced, and Impulse could see a couple confused faces in the windows of the diner. Where Mumbo could only be described as dapper, Iskall looked more like he belonged on a beach somewhere with his faded jeans short and the gaudy Hawaii print shirt. The shirt somehow managed to clash with everything except the mechanical eye that had replaced Iskall's real eye after an accident a few years ago. It was the crowning achievement Pacific was founded on, a work of love as much as a show of true genius. Impulse knew, because like Cub he had been there for it, helping Mumbo work out how to help him until neither of them could think properly anymore. Impulse had probably spent more time with Mumbo and Cub back then than with Grian, and he still felt lucky at how understanding Grian had been that his best friend got more of his time than he did. Mumbo's face still softened when he looked at Iskall, and Impulse had to look away for a moment, unwilling to intrude. Grian squeezed his hand and smiled at him, and he leaned down and gave him a peck on the lips.  
"Let's get breakfast," Grian said, and Impulse nodded before he led the others inside the diner, Scar and Bdubs already bickering light-heartedly about what they wanted to eat.


	2. Part 2 - Tango

"Here, you look like you need it," Stress said as she handed Tango his filled travel mug back. "Is everything okay?"  
She looked worried, and Tango tried his best to smile at her, even though it probably looked more like a grimace.  
"All good," he said. "Just didn't get much sleep last night. One of the ewes lambed."  
It was only half the truth, but it was enough to smoothen the lines of worry on Stress's face.  
"Make sure you get some rest," she said. "Zed, too."  
"I promise." He managed an actual smile this time. "I'll see you around. Bye."  
He walked towards the door, already considering the work he had to do at the workshop today, but before he could open it, someone else did it for him. He met Impulse's eyes and somehow managed a smile before he stepped to the side to let him and the men behind him pass.  
Grian was with him, Impulse's arm loosely wrapped around his waist. Behind them came a guy about Grian's height with a slightly broader build and some sort of high-tech eye followed by a tall dapper gentleman, who looked almost comically out of place. The rear of the group was made up by three more guys, another tall man, though not as tall as the dapper guy, with brown hair and a couple of faint scars across his face, who has bickering with a smaller guy, while the bald man behind them watched amusedly.  
They passed and Tango quickly left. He wasn't in the mood to witness Impulse with his new friends, not when he had barely slept and couldn't ignore the nagging feelings he had tried his best to ignore ever since they had run into each other that first day.  
He drove the car over to the workshop where he settled into his office. There was paperwork to be done, and while he didn't particularly want to do it right now, it was better to get it out of the way while he could. Someone was bound to have an issue with their car sooner rather than later.  
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a second. He was tired to the bone and it was only partly because work at the farm was busy. He was glad he had lambing season as an excuse but he really needed to get his head straight.  
Impulse's return had thrown him off more than he liked to admit, and it had reopened old wounds Tango had thought long gone. Zed did his best to act like he was fine, but Tango had known him long enough to know that he was struggling with it as well. Though unlike Tango he could at least get himself to give Grian a chance. And Tango knew he should confront his feelings, be the adult he claimed to be and not let the wounds fester, but he couldn't help it.  
He was still angry at Impulse for leaving them behind, for never even telling them that he planned to go to college in the city, or that he had gotten in on a scholarship. They had had to find out from the principal at graduation, when it couldn't be hidden anymore, because of course Hermitville could be proud of Impulse. And Tango had always thought that it was the three of them against the world, him and Zed and Impulse, close as brothers, maybe even closer. But apparently he had been naive so now it was just him and Zed, happy with what they got, studiously ignoring the Impulse-shaped hole in their lives that they could still feel fifteen years later.  
Tango remembered their graduation like it was yesterday, everyone smiling and grinning, Stress twirling playfully in her gown before False caught her and dipped her to kiss her.  
Impulse had been loose, happy, and when Tango had thrown his arms around him and Zed they had both leaned into him. Tango had decided then that he should definitely talk to them, because whatever happened, he at least wanted to have tried.  
They had lined up, waiting to receive their diplomas, and Tango had done his best not to fidget. He could hear Impulse cheer loudest along with him when it was Zed's turn, and then it was already Impulse's turn, and the principal mentioned how proud they all were of him for getting a scholarship for college and wished him the best of luck, and Tango froze. He hadn't expected it, hadn't expected any of it, and his eyes found Zed's where he was already sitting down and he could see that neither had he. And even though they had cheered along with everyone else, Tango's heart at least hadn't been in it.  
Things had gotten a little fuzzy after that, Tango dimly remembered False walking up, and getting a small nudge from Ex when his name was called. He had taken his diploma and accepted the congratulations with a smile and found his place and sat down.  
They hadn't gotten to talk to Impulse until later. They had met up at their usual spot, out at the edge of Zed's family's farm where the pastures ended and the forest began. Zed hadn't even said hello, he had just looked at Impulse and asked with a small voice, "You're leaving?"  
Impulse had looked like he was sorry at least when he had said, "Yeah. I….the opportunity came and I couldn't pass it up. It's...it's a good college and I want to do this."  
"You never told us," Tango had said quietly, biting back all the other things that wanted to spill out.  
"I didn't find out until a few days ago."  
And Tango hadn't pointed out that Impulse hadn't even told them he was applying; that he could have told them at any time since he had made that decision; that he had been as involved in planning for the future, their future, as he and Zed had.  
He hadn't had to. Not when Zed had clenched his hands into fists and said, "So it was all a game to you, wasn't it?"  
"Zed, I…"  
"No, I don't want to hear any excuses. We spent all year talking about what we'd do after graduation and you said nothing. You could have said at any point that you were going to go and leave us behind and…" Zed had bit his lip and had taken a deep breath, before he continued. "I want you off my property. Now. Just. Just go and be happy. Clearly we're not important enough."  
He had turned his back towards Impulse who had looked hurt, but had only taken a deep breath before he had turned to go.  
That had been the last time they had talked to Impulse. Tango had ignored his calls and texts, and he had spent as much time as he could get away with at the car workshop, helping out John the way he had done since he was sixteen. Zed had done the same, helping at the farm.  
Impulse's mother had gotten a good job offer on the other side of the country that summer, and the last Tango had seen of Impulse was the back of the moving truck as it transported away the Sullivan's belongings.  
He had scowled at it, their last chance at ever making up with Impulse gone and when he had turned back to work on the tire he had been changing John had sighed loudly.  
"I don't know what happened, kid. But I think you should take tomorrow off. Stay home, meet up with that other boy of yours. Come down from whatever's got you so mad. I'll survive without your help for the day."  
Tango had wanted to protest but he had known the look in John's eyes too well to try, so he had just nodded.  
He hadn't called Zed to meet up. Things had been weird between them with Impulse's absence, and Tango hadn't wanted to bother him with it. He had stayed on his couch in the basement and put the TV on and stewed in his feelings.  
And then the doorbell had rung. Zed had stood outside, wringing his hands, and he had looked up at Tango when he had opened the door.  
"John said you were home. Can I….can I come in?"  
Tango had nodded and stepped to the side to let him inside and he had fully expected him to just go ahead to the basement as usual, but Zed had stopped in the hallway and had taken a few deep breaths.  
"It's just….I…" He had closed his eyes and swallowed, but then he had looked up at Tango and stepped close to him and if it hadn't been so quiet Tango would have missed his next words. "I can't loose you too."  
And before Tango had been able to say anything to that and reassure him that he wasn't going anywhere Zed had reached up and pulled his head towards him and kissed him. By the time Tango had caught up to what was happening Zed had been about to pull away again, and all he had managed to do was grab his hips and hold on as he had responded to the kiss.  
There had been tears on Zed's face when he had finally pulled away again but he had looked relieved, and when Tango had taken him up to his room, both of them fumbling with each other's clothes, he had started to learn him in all the ways he didn’t know yet.

The phone rang and Tango blinked his eyes open with a groan. He hadn't planned to doze off, but he guessed that was what happened after all. A look at the clock told him that he hadn't been out for that long, and he quickly picked up the phone before whoever was on the other end hung up.  
"Hermitville Mechanics, how can I help you?"  
"Hey uh, it's Impulse. My buddy's car has an issue with the engine. Could you tow it and maybe let us have a look at it at the workshop?"  
"Yeah sure. You still at Stress's?"  
"Yeah."  
"I'll be over in a few."  
"Cool. Thanks. I'll see you then."  
"Yeah. Bye."  
He hung up and sighed. Of course he'd have to deal with Impulse and his friends after all.  
But it couldn't be helped, he guessed, and so he got up and stretched, feeling his spine pop, before he grabbed the keys to the towing truck and left, his paperwork still left unfinished on the desk.

He could see them when he pulled up to the diner. Impulse was standing by the red old-timer with the gentleman, the man with the mechanic eye and the bald guy, discussing something. The big white truck, as well as Grian and the other two were nowhere to be seen.  
Impulse looked up when he stopped and jumped down onto the street. He smiled tentatively but Tango only raised an eyebrow and he sighed.  
"Everyone, this is Tango. Tango, this is Mumbo, Iskall and Cub," he said as Tango joined them.  
"I hear you need a car towed," Tango said.  
Mumbo looked up and nodded.  
"Yes, it's probably something with the engine. We'll have to look at it."  
"Thanks for coming," Iskall added, side-eyeing Mumbo with a fond smile.  
Tango shrugged. "It's what I do."  
He worked quickly to pull the car up onto the tow truck and securing it. He couldn't help but wonder how they were so sure it was the engine, or why they seemed insistent to look at it themselves. He knew Impulse had studied engineering, or at least that was what they had been told before he left, but engineers weren't exactly car mechanics. Nor did Mumbo look like someone who got his hands dirty.  
It didn't take long from unloading the car and getting it into the workshop to find out though. Mumbo unbuttoned the cuffs of his dress shirt and rolled them up to his elbows as he walked over to the car and opened the hood to bend over what was inside along with Impulse and Cub.   
Tango leaned against a workbench and crossed his arms in front of his chest. It didn't sit quite right with him to have strangers stand in his workshop like this while he watched. Iskall joined him, an apologetic smile on his face.  
"Sorry about them," he said. "They've been working on this engine as a side project for a while now."  
Tango raised an eyebrow. "You put an experimental engine into a car like that?"  
"Mumbo insisted it was fine," Iskall shrugged. "And Cub didn't disagree. I know better than to argue with two thirds of the actual engineering genius behind Pacific."  
"Two thirds?"  
"Well Impulse wasn't around to weigh in, and I wasn't gonna call him while he was on break."  
Tango shot the three men standing by the car a surprised look. He had always known that Impulse was smart, and he had known from the moment he had found out that he was going to college that he would go far. But he hadn't expected to hear it quite so directly stated.  
"This is the first you hear of it, isn't it?" Iskall said, clearly a little amused.  
"I haven't exactly talked to him since he left." Tango cleared his throat. "But he was always the smartest of us."  
Iskall chuckled. "When I had my accident it was those three who barely slept for weeks until they had developed a replacement for my eye. They didn't rest until they had worked it out. I think if Grian, Scar and Bdubs hadn't put their feet down they wouldn't have slept at all."  
Tango wasn't quite sure what to feel about that. He remembered the way Impulse had always worked tirelessly, how much he had always cared for his friends and family. It sounded just like him to learn a new field just because his friend needed his help. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, because once upon a time he and Zed would have been the ones who were important enough for him to do that, or at least they had thought so. As it had turned out they hadn't even been important enough to be told about his plans for the future.  
He tucked the information away for later, something to examine and rethink when he was alone or with Zed at least.  
It didn’t look like Impulse and the others could figure out what was wrong, and when Iskall shook his head and gestured at Tango to follow him over to them, Tango followed slowly.  
"It doesn't make sense," Mumbo was saying when Tango reached them. "There's nothing wrong with the engine itself as far as I can tell."  
Tango threw a look at the engine, letting his eyes wander over the engine block, which looked unremarkable really, tracing all the other parts that made every car do what it was supposed to.  
"You didn't connect the hydraulics properly," he said finally.  
Mumbo broke off in the middle of whatever he was saying and frowned.  
“I…” he stopped himself and looked at the hose Tango pointed at. “Blimey, I’m a proper spoon.”  
Tango chuckled as he leaned in and fixed it.  
“If you give me a second I’ll get the hydraulic fluid checked and you should be good to go,” Tango said with a wry smile. “Unless you’ve got some fancy experimental stuff in there as well.”  
“No no that’s still the usual.”  
“Good then.”  
Mumbo and the others stepped away from the car, and Tango got to work.  
It didn't take long and when he stepped back and closed the hood of Mumbo's car again, he said, "There, we're all settled. It should run normally again."  
"Thanks." Mumbo still looked a little embarrassed. "I can't believe I didn't connect that properly. I even checked everything twice."  
Tango smirked. "Maybe let someone else do the double checking next time."  
“That might be a good idea,” Iskall said with a grin. He dug a business card from his pocket and handed it over. “Here just send the bill to the company. xB can have a laugh as well when he sees it.”  
“Will do.” Tango had to chuckle. “Now excuse me if I kick you out, but I got stuff to finish so I can get back home in time for dinner at least.”  
“We wouldn’t want to keep you,” Impulse said, and the others nodded. Mumbo and Iskall got into Mumbo’s car, while Cub turned and walked over to Impulse’s car, but Impulse himself hesitated for a moment.  
“Tell Zed I said hi?” he asked. He sounded unsure, and Tango had to fight down the annoyance that wanted to bubble up. He bit back the bitterness and settled on, “I’ll try.”   
Impulse nodded, and followed Cub, getting in on the driver’s side as Mumbo started up his car and pulled out of the workshop, Iskall giving Tango a happy little wave from the passenger seat.  
Tango watched them all go, Impulse’s electric car pulling out onto the street almost eerily silent, before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If he was lucky the coffee he had gotten from Stress’s hadn’t gone completely cold yet.

By the time Tango parked his truck in its usual spot by the farm house, he was late for dinner. Between towing Mumbo and helping fix his car, and the paperwork he had procrastinated on for too long after all, he hadn’t been able to leave until it was too late.  
The front door opened when he got out of the car, and when he looked up Zed stood on the porch, arms crossed in front of his chest and one eyebrow raised.  
“You’re late.”  
Tango gave him an apologetic smile as he walked up the stairs, and kissed his cheek. “Sorry, I had to tow a guy and fix his car.”  
“You could have texted,” Zed admonished gently.  
“I’m sorry I forgot.”  
Tango rested his hand on Zed’s hip and leaned his head against his shoulder. He took a deep breath, focusing on Zed’s scent and the warmth of his body for a moment, letting it ground him and pull him more firmly back into the present and away from the memories that had been buzzing around his head all day.  
Zed’s hand came up to rub his shoulder.  
“Everything okay?” he asked.  
Tango squeezed his hip once before he released him with a sigh. “Yeah, just… the guy whose car I towed was one of Impulse’s friends.”  
“Ah.”  
Zed cupped his cheek in his hand and pulled him down into a quick kiss, before he added, “Let’s have dinner, I’m sure food will help.”  
“Yeah.” Tango cleared his throat, but he didn’t let Zed go quite yet. “I love you, you know?”  
“You’ve told me once or twice already.” Zed smiled before he leaned in for another quick kiss. “I love you too. Now come inside before dinner gets cold.”  
Tango smiled and nodded, and when Zed stepped away he finally released him, and followed him inside. He left his shoes by the door, and washed his hands in the kitchen before he joined Zed at the dinner table. He relaxed a little more as he settled into the familiar routine of catching up with Zed about their days.

It was already well into the morning when they got up. They had both woken up early through force of habit, but Tango had pulled Zed close and reminded him that Hypno was taking care of things, and they had traded sleepy kisses for a while until they both had fallen back asleep. Zed was the first one out of bed, ever the one to have less trouble getting up, and by the time Tango shuffled down the stairs and into the kitchen he could smell the coffee Zed had already brewed for him.  
Zed was just putting down a bowl of dog food in front of Clifford so he could eat when Tango came in and he smiled happily when he looked up. Tango smiled back, even though he was barely awake, and when Zed stepped towards the counter to get him his first cup of coffee, he stepped in from behind and wrapped his arms around Zed's waist and leaned his head against his shoulder. He watched as Zed filled his mug, and only released him to take it and take the first sip of the morning, sighing as he waited for the caffeine to kick in.  
By the third or fourth sip he felt more awake, and leaned in to kiss the corner of Zed's mouth.  
"Good morning," he said.  
"Good morning. Hypno has taken care of everything that really needed to be done today, so I thought we could have a lazy day."  
"A lazy day sounds amazing." Tango smiled and wrapped an arm around Zed's shoulders to pull him close.   
Zed leaned into it and stretched up to kiss Tango.  
“Let’s have breakfast first,” he said.  
Tango nodded and quickly took another sip of his coffee before he put down the mug and helped Zed get breakfast ready.

Life went on, and as sleepy as it was, even Hermitville started to move on from gossiping about Impulse and Grian and their friends.  
Tango sent his bill to the address Iskall had provided him with, and when the payment arrived he raised his eyebrow.  
“That can’t be right,” he muttered to himself. But the numbers where right there, exactly double of what he had billed.  
He shook his head and picked up the phone to call Pacific and find someone who could explain to him why they had overpaid him that much.  
“Crafted,” the head of the accounting department said when he picked up after Tango was put through to him.  
“Uh hello, this is Tango Tek of Hermitville Mechanics. I’m calling about the bill I sent you.”  
“Ah yes, for Mumbo’s car.” Tango could hear the barely concealed chuckle in his voice, and he remembered what Iskall had said about someone getting a laugh out of it. “I hope everything went through okay.”  
“Yeah uh. I was just wondering… you transferred double of what I billed.”  
"Ah yes. I thought you might wonder about that. Iskall told me to. He was… very amused by the whole thing."  
"Oh." Tango blinked and cleared his throat. "I guess I'll have to thank him then."  
"I'll pass it on if you want me to."  
"That would be very nice of you."  
"It's cool. If it happens again feel free to bill the higher amount. We always get a bit of a laugh out of Mumbo's spoon moments. So it's worth it." The guy was definitely chuckling now, and Tango couldn't hold back a chuckle of his own.  
"I'll keep it in mind then," he said. "Thanks for your help."  
"You're welcome. Have a nice day."  
"Have a nice day."  
They hung up and Tango could only shake his head.  
The thing was that the more he learned about Impulse's friends, the more he could see why he liked them. Just based on his limited interactions with them they seemed fun to be around. There seemed to be an easy friendship between all of them, and Impulse seemed to fit right in. If things were different Tango would be happy to befriend them himself.  
But he wasn't going there. He needed to keep his distance. They were part of the life Impulse had built without them, and even if he was back those bridges had been burned a long time ago.

Slowly but steadily lambing season came to an end and the weather started shifting. Summer was almost over and everyone tried to enjoy it as long as it lasted.  
Tango came back from a trip to the grocery store in town with several pieces of pie from Stress's diner he had spontaneously picked up on the way to find Zed rooting around their closet.  
He leaned against the door frame of their bedroom and watched him for a moment before he asked, "What are you looking for?"  
"My nice boots and my hat," Zed said, distractedly. "I just can't remember where I put them the last time I needed them."  
"The boxes on the left," Tango said with an amused smile. “Where the motorcycle gear is.”  
“Oh.” Zed pulled the boxes from the bottom of the closet, and peeked inside. “Yeah, that’s the right ones. Thanks!”  
Tango watched as he put them to the side before he tilted his head and looked at the box of motorcycle gear Tango had put down there to save space.  
“We haven’t taken out the bike in a while,” Zed said, turning to look up at Tango.  
It was a simple statement but the weather outside was nice and when Tango threw a quick glance at the clock on the night stand he realised that it was still early enough.  
“We could go for a ride,” he said. “Take out the bike one last time before fall.”  
Zed’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, let’s. It’ll be fun.”  
Tango laughed, and when Zed pulled the box from the closet he pushed away from the door frame to take it and put it down on the bed before he held out a hand and pulled Zed up and close to him.  
They stood like that for a few heartbeats before Tango leaned in to kiss him. Zed’s lips moved gently against his for a moment, and he smiled when he pulled away.  
“Let’s not get distracted,” he said.  
Tango returned his smile and reluctantly stepped away.  
“Yeah, let’s get going before it gets too late.”

Zed went to grab their helmets, while Tango went out to the small barn that doubled as a garage to get his motorbike. He pulled the covering off that protected it from the dust dancing around the beams of sunlight that fell through some of the wider gaps in the wooden walls, and checked how much gas was left in the tank before he kicked up the stand to push it outside where Zed was waiting for him already.  
“We’ll have to refuel on the way out of town,” he said when Zed handed him his helmet. “What do you say, we go towards the highway and then north and loop around through the woods?”  
“Sounds good to me.” Zed grinned and leaned up to kiss him before they both put on their helmets and got on, the engine of the motorbike familiar beneath them, Zed’s arms a familiar weight around Tango’s waist as he kicked it into motion and Zed held on.

He didn’t speed up until after they had refuelled and left Hermitville. He didn’t want to risk anything within town limits, but out in the country where the streets were mostly empty on the weekends and nothing but harvested fields stretched out around them, he could coax as much out of the motorbike as he wanted. He could hear the muffled sound of Zed’s whooping laughter behind him as he did, and he had to laugh himself. There was something about being out here on the bike together that made everything else fall away; that made it seem like they were the only ones around, flying along the tarmac of the road, all memories and worries forgotten for the moment.  
He drove until they reached the crossing where the road that connected Hermitville to the closest highway exit crossed theirs, but instead of turning south towards the highway and the city, Tango turned north. He had driven on these roads ever since he had gotten his license, and they were so familiar he could probably drive them in his sleep. Not that he was planning to ever test the theory. He knew the risks too well, and he shuddered every time False called him to tow a car wreck after an accident. He knew his limits and the dangers of the road, and he didn't push the bike further than he knew for sure he could handle.  
The road quickly left the fields behind as it entered the woods and started twisting and turning a bit more. They passed the old hunting cabin that they had used to break into when they had been young, telling each other all sorts of scary stories about the things that had presumably happened here. They all knew they weren't real. The cabin had been abandoned when its old owners had died, their only son living on the other side of the country. But it had been fun to pretend, even if none of them could ever beat Cleo at coming up with a scarier story. Tango slowed a little, the turns of the road were too dangerous to take them at the speed he had picked up since leaving town, and out here it was always possible to run into animals crossing the road.  
He took them all the way to the bridge, where the road split and crossed the river to go up into the mountains and across the pass, and stopped at the small parking space for the few hikers they got in these parts. They got off the bike and by unspoken agreement walked onto the bridge and stood at the railing, looking down at where the river was flowing over the rocks, forming small pools between them and spilling down in tiny waterfalls. There was a hint of fall in the air already, and Tango closed his eyes as he sucked in a deep breath. It was nice out here, peaceful, and the only sounds were the water below them and the rustling of the leaves in the wind.  
Zed leaned into his side and he wrapped his arm around his shoulders.  
"We should go on a road trip next summer," Zed said. "Get out of town and just drive. Let Hypno handle the farm on his own for a bit."  
"We should," Tango agreed. "We haven't done that in a while."  
They were silent for a moment before Zed turned a little and nuzzled into the side of his neck with a sigh.  
"It's been a weird summer," he said quietly, and he didn't need to specify what he meant. "I keep getting stuck on the memories, you know."  
"Yeah me too." Tango cleared his throat. "It's… I remembered how good it all was but…"  
"Yeah… I'm… I'm just glad he doesn't try to act like everything’s fine between us now.”  
“I don’t know if I prefer it this way, or if I want him to act like we’re still friends,” Tango admitted quietly. “Like I’m glad he respects that he fucked up and doesn’t try to pretend it didn’t happen, but I just… I’d really like to throw it all in his face some days, you know? Just make him see how much he actually hurt us.”  
Zed gently squeezed his waist. “I think you have every right to. I got to kick him off our land at least.”  
They lapsed into silence again, until Zed moved to lean back against the railing and pulled Tango along so they were facing each other.  
“Promise me one thing though,” he said.  
“Anything.”  
Zed pulled him close and pulled his head down until their foreheads were touching.  
“Don’t let it fester. If you need to talk about it, talk about it. And if you need to let off some steam, tell me and we’ll find something that works. But don’t just stew in it and let it eat at you in silence. I love you too much to lose you now.”  
“I promise,” Tango said, “I love you too much to risk losing you.”  
Zed smiled at that, and it was the easiest thing in the world to gently grasp his chin and press their lips together in a chaste kiss. Out of all the things in his life Zed was the very last one he would even dare to risk losing.

They returned home in time for dinner, and while Tango cooked Zed marinated the meat for their last cook out of the season the next day. It was tradition at this point. All of their friends would come out to the farm, and they would sit together all afternoon, talking and eating. Xisuma would get his guitar out at some point, and maybe Hypno and Cleo would join him for a couple songs. Joe was bound to have a poem about the summer ready, and they would all sit together late into the night until they either decided that it was too late for everyone to go home, or False and Wels decided to get everyone home safely.  
There had been some discussions this year about whether to invite Impulse and Grian along or not. It had been Stress who had approached Tango and Zed about it, almost apologetically.  
“I know you might not want them to be there,” she had said, “an’ we will all respect it if you say no. But Impulse used to be one of us, and it feels weird to not at least invite ‘em, you know?”  
Tango had promised her to discuss it with Zed. He wouldn’t make the decision on his own, because even if no one else knew, it had been Zed who had told Impulse to leave his property and not come back.  
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with inviting him,” Zed had admitted. “Even though Stress is right. It’s just…”  
“You’re not sure you want to see him near our home.” Zed had nodded and Tango had gently squeezed his hand before he continued. “It’s the same for me. It’s just… as many memories as we have with him here, this place has been free of him since he came back and I don’t know if I want to change that.”  
“He was one of us though,” Zed had said with a sigh. “And he was friends with the others too. Maybe not as close as he was with us, but they have every right to be happy that he’s back and to want him and Grian there when we all meet up.”  
“They would accept it if we said no. Stress said as much.”  
“Maybe they would. But should they have to? Or can we just suck it up for one evening and pretend at least?”  
“Should we have to?”  
They had both sighed then, and the next morning they had decided to at least try having Impulse and Grian there.  
Tango pushed all thoughts of it far away as he plated their dinner and carried it over to the table while Zed washed his hands. There was no use in worrying about it now.

Tango was sitting on one of the benches by the pile of wood they were still waiting to light, Zed leaning into his side, a cold bottle of beer in his hand, when Impulse and Grian rounded the corner of the house chatting to Stress and False.  
Tango had to swallow. Impulse’s black t-shirt was tight in the shoulders, and his cargo shorts hung low on his hips. He looked good, and Tango couldn’t help the small pang of jealousy at Grian, who walked next to him, Impulse’s arm around him.  
He was pulled from his thoughts when Zed stretched up and kissed his cheek.  
“Stop ogling him before someone else notices,” he said low enough hat no one could overhear. “I get it, but it’s not the time and place.”  
Tango had to chuckle. “I know. I’ll try my best. Everyone knows I only have eyes for you anyways.”  
Zed laughed at that, a happy, pleased sound, and when Tango turned his head Zed leaned up for a quick kiss.  
“I love you too, you sap,” he said.  
Tango only smiled back, before he looked up and joined in when Hypno and Xisuma greeted the four newcomers.

Tango kind of avoided Impulse and Grian. He let himself be pulled away by Wels’ twins at some point when they needed a fourth person for their game, and he spent a while playing with them and Joe, Clifford jumping around them.  
The kids eventually tired of their game and went off with Clifford in tow to go looking at the ewes with their lambs. Tango let them go with a reminder to come back in time for food, before he went back to the others.  
He stopped to tell Wels where they had run off to, and got a relieved smile for his efforts.  
“Thanks man. You sure you want to risk them trying to climb into the enclosure with the sheep?”  
“Clifford’s with them. He’ll keep them out of trouble.”  
“I guess he’s the best replacement for a responsible adult you can get out here,” Wels said with a grin, and Tango squawked indignantly, which only made Wels laugh harder.  
“You better ask someone else the next time you need a babysitter,” he said. “Clearly we’re not qualified anymore.”  
“You wouldn’t do that to them.”  
“Are you sure about that?” Tango raised an eyebrow, but he couldn’t keep a straight face for long, before he had to grin and then join in on Wels’ laughter.

Afternoon slowly shifted into evening and as it started growing darker they finally started the fire.  
Zed brought out the meat he had prepared the evening before and the vegetables Xisuma had brought from the kitchen for Tango to grill, and they all sat around the fire eating, and chatting and joking with each other.  
Wels was the first to leave, and he took Hypno along, who decided he’d rather take a long walk in the morning to come to work than sleep at the farm. He had to listen to good-natured teasing from most of them, but he waved it away with a chuckle and helped Wels carry the twins to his car.  
Tango was in the kitchen to put away the remains of the food, when someone cleared his throat behind him.  
He turned around to find Grian standing in the door and raised an eyebrow.  
“Can I help you? The bathroom’s just down the hall, shouldn’t be hard to miss,” he said, already turning back to transferring the potato salad Wels had brought into a container to store in the fridge.  
“I know where the bathroom is,” Grian said. “But there was something else I was wondering.”  
“Yeah?”  
“I know you and Zedaph were Impulse’s best friends, and I know he left a long time ago. But what I don’t get it is why you seem to avoid him so completely.”  
Tango was glad that he had his back turned to Grian, because it made it far easier to deflect. “Maybe we’re just busy,” he said. “Besides, he really did leave a long time ago, we’re not the kids we used to be anymore.”  
“I don’t think that’s it,” Grian said.  
Tango closed his eyes and sighed before he turned back around.  
“Maybe you should ask Impulse about that then,” he said. “He was the one who left, not me or Zed.”  
“I tried,” Grian sighed. “And he just said it was in the past.”  
Tango barked out a laugh at that. “Of course,” he muttered to himself, before he ran a hand over his face. He didn’t particularly fancy explaining what had happened fifteen years ago, but it seemed he was the only one who was going to do it.  
He threw a look out of the window, the fire burning bright in the darkness, the others barely more than shadowy outlines in the night. He sighed.  
“We spent our last year of high school making plans for the future,” he finally said. “We had dreams, Impulse, Zed and I, and we discussed what to do after we graduated, how to move on together. Because the one thing we were sure about was that we’d stay friends through thick and thin.  
“Zed and I didn’t hear anything about Impulse planning to go to college, or the scholarship, until graduation day. Zed was already sitting down, and I was still waiting for my turn, when the principal congratulated Impulse. That was how we found out that our best friend was leaving us behind; that we were not important enough to even be told that he was considering college as an option. And then his parents moved later that summer, and he had no more reason to come back anyways, so we cut our losses and moved on without him. And it’s great for him that he considers it to be in the past, but we have every right to decide not to want him back in our lives.”  
Grian nodded, but then he said, “Are you sure you want to hold a mistake against him that he made when he was eighteen though?”  
Tango grit his teeth at that. This was exactly what he had expected.  
“He almost ruined the friendship Zed and I had on top of everything else. He wasn’t there to pick up the pieces of what it did to us. Everyone who was here today helped us by being our friends. And it was for their sakes that we invited you two, because whether we like it or not, Impulse was one of us, and they are allowed to rekindle their old friendships with him. But that doesn’t mean Zed and I have to. So please stop digging into things you don’t fucking understand.”  
Everything was silent for a moment and Grian stared at him looking like he was trying to figure out what to say, until Impulse cleared his throat to get their attention.  
“Everything alright here?” he asked, looking from one to the other.  
“Yeah,” Tango said, before he turned back to face the counter and picked his work back up again. “Though I think you two should leave now.”  
His tone didn’t leave room for argument, and he could see Impulse’s reflection in the window, eyebrows drawn together in a frown for a moment before he nodded.  
“That’s why I came looking for you anyways, Grian,” he said, and Tango did his best not to watch the way Impulse’s face shifted when they looked at each other. The way his entire expression softened before he said, “We both got work in the morning.”  
“Yeah.” And Tango had to clench his jaw before he said something he regretted, because he could hear the smile in Grian’s voice and he knew without checking that he had the same expression on his face as Impulse did.  
“Bye Tango,” Impulse said. “We’ll see you around, I guess.”  
“I guess so,” Tango replied.  
He could hear them hesitate for a moment, probably waiting for him to say goodbye too, but when he just kept working silently, he could hear Impulse sigh and then they stepped out of the backdoor.  
Tango only breathed a sigh of relief.

A few days had passed since the cook out, and Tango had done his best not to think about his conversation with Grian. He had told Zed about it of course. There was no way he would keep something like that from him. Especially not after his promise to him.  
Zed had only pulled him as close as he could that night, and they had slept pressed together, with Zed’s arms wrapped around him.  
And it wasn’t like there was much reason to be affected by it. He had only told Grian the part of the truth he needed to know. Because if there was one thing Tango would not explain to him, it was that it had hurt so much more than the end of a friendship would, because of the unaddressed feelings that had been involved from their side. That was only for them to know, not for anyone else.  
And so life went on as it always did. There was always work to do, whether it was at the car workshop or the farm, and it kept Tango busy enough not to dwell on things.  
What he didn’t expect though was for Impulse to turn up at the workshop a few days after the cook out.  
He looked up when he saw the movement of his car pulling into the space out front out of the corner of his eye, and he leaned back against a workbench, wiping his hands clean on a rag as he watched Impulse get out and come over to him.  
He looked a little nervous, and his hands were fidgeting with his keys, when he stopped and said, “Hi. Can we… can we talk?”  
Tango raised an eyebrow. “What is there to talk about?”  
“It’s about last weekend. I… what the hell did you tell Grian?”  
“Can’t you ask him that? I’d hope you have gotten better at communicating.” Tango could feel annoyance bubble up in his chest. He didn’t particularly appreciate the slightly accusatory tone behind Impulse’s words.  
“But if you really have to know, I only told him the truth.”  
“Did you include the part where you never even let me explain as well?”  
Impulse looked angry now, and Tango could feel his own hackles rise, fifteen years of pent up anger finally trying their hardest to boil over and demanding to be let out.  
“What the fuck was there to explain? You had an entire year, Impulse! We would have supported you! But instead you decided we were not important enough to be told! Of course we were hurt!”  
Impulse threw his hands into the air in resignation.  
“Okay then keep being angry at me, but you could at least give Grian a chance. He wasn’t the one who made a stupid mistake. He’s done nothing to you, but you seem to blame him all the same.”  
And Tango knew he would regret his next words. But he had never claimed to be smart and seeing Impulse around and his conversation with Grian had taken their toll on him and the words were out before he could stop them.  
“How could we not resent him for having what we’ve wanted for so long but can never have?”  
Impulse stared at him in shock, and Tango deflated almost immediately. He turned around and leaned his weight onto the work bench.  
“Please leave,” he said, and for a moment he thought he had been too quiet, but then he heard Impulse turn and walk away, and a moment later the sound of his car door.  
When he finally dared to turn around again, Impulse and his car were gone.

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me on [tumblr.](https://abschaumno1.tumblr.com)


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